Five stars with Premier League links in Bremen v Hamburg clash

Hamburg are in desperate need for a win, as they sit bottom of the Bundesliga, against rivals Werder Bremen

Hamburg (29/10 to win with BoyleSports) are in dire straights at present in the Bundesliga, as they sit rock bottom and four points from safety with just six more fixtures of the regular season to go.

So desperate were the Dinosaur, who are the only club to have played in every top-flight campaign in Germany since WW1, that they reappointed Bruno Labbadia as their new head coach, almost five years after they sacked him.

So, ahead of the intriguing fixture, we make a list of five names from both sides with Premier League connections to look out for.

Valon BehramiSwiss half-centurion Behrami has never really been known as a goalscorer throughout his career, but managed a handful during his three-year spell with West Ham United. But back the Hamburg midfielder to fire home in this crunch clash at 10/1 with Bet365.

Franco Di SantoAnother player who is not known for his goals, or certainly in England with Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers anyway, is Argentina international Di Santo. The tall striker, once dubbed ‘Little Crespo’, has been more of a hit in Germany with Bremen, though, and has 12 Bundesliga strikes this term already, so is a tempting 6/1 shout with BetVictor to net first.

Lewis HoltbyAcross north London from Arsenal is Tottenham loanee Holtby, who is desperately trying to get his career back together after an ill-fated spell in England – the land of his father. The temporary Hamburg attacker has a terrific record against Bremen, having won five of the seven matches he’s featured in, and he is 11/2 with Bet365 to net anytime.

Rafael van der VaartThe Dutchman is probably the only player to have been a hit in England, after being nominated for the 2010/11 PFA Players’ Player of the Year award whilst also at Spurs. Van der Vaart had a terrific spell with Hamburg in his early career, which led to a move to Real Madrid, but has failed to hit the heights since his return.